Raiders out to prove doubters wrong, again

They've almost got a free hit for the rest of the NRL season having had their finals hopes written off - for the second time this campaign.

No one will relish that opportunity more than Raiders coach Ricky Stuart, who loves a good case of "us against the world".

He hung a sign in the sheds for their round one clash against the Knights at Newcastle that had a very simple message: "F--- 'em."

The Green Machine came away with an emphatic win and are still sitting in the top eight - despite going into the 2024 campaign having been completely written off.

Nobody gave them a chance given they had a young five-eighth in Ethan Strange with just one NRL game under his belt.

They also had a young backline, with only halfback Jamal Fogarty and fullback Jordan Rapana older than 24.

Four wins from their opening seven games has earned them plenty of admirers already and put predictions of doom and gloom to the sword.

But injuries to both Fogarty and Rapana have seen an already young Raiders backline get even younger.

Chevy Stewart made his NRL debut in the No.1 jersey a fortnight ago and now Kaeo Weekes will make his Canberra debut in the halves.

It means they have a spine that's played just 22 NRL games.

And in the process, everyone's written the Green Machine - yet off again.

Stuart could simply dust off his old sign from round one and add a couple of numbers to make it "F--- 'em 2.0".

Without two key players in their spine in Fogarty and Rapana, no one's expecting them to beat the table-topping Cronulla Sharks.

Well, no one outside the four walls of Raiders HQ.

Which is why they have a free hit on Sunday. A free hit that extends until Fogarty's found his feet again following his expected round 20-21 return from biceps surgery.

But no one gave them a chance against the Knights at the start of the season.

They proved the doubters wrong then and now they have the chance to do it again.

Strange quickly settled into life in the NRL and has shown he's got a dangerous running game and, a missed tackle on Broncos star Reece Walsh aside, a good defensive game as well.

He'll now have to do it all without Fogarty there to bear a majority of the kicking - but the Raiders had already moved to increase Strange's responsibilities there.

Regardless of how many games Canberra wins over the next 12 weeks, it'll at least be an excellent learning curve for not only Strange, but Weekes as well.

Another benefit of having a rookie halves pairing is no one knows what to expect.

The footage of the pair playing together would be limited to a couple of pre-season trials a couple of months ago.

While they've lost Fogarty's experience and super boot - he led the NRL for kick metres before his injury - they've gained even more speed in an already quick backline.

Weekes has speed to burn and will add his jets to those of Xavier Savage, Sebastian Kris, Stewart, Strange, Matt Timoko and James Schiller.

What they lack in experience they can potentially make up for with pace.

The Raiders still have their greatest strength largely intact - a highly rated pack with some of the best forwards in the game.

And the likes of Josh Papali'i and Joe Tapine aren't adverse to saying "f--- 'em".

NRL ROUND EIGHT

Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Cronulla Sharks at Canberra Stadium, 4.05pm.

Raiders squad: 1. Chevy Stewart, 2. James Schiller, 3. Matt Timoko, 4. Sebastian Kris, 5. Xavier Savage, 6. Ethan Strange, 7. Kaeo Weekes, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Danny Levi, 10. Joe Tapine (c), 11. Hudson Young, 12. Simi Sasagi, 13. Morgan Smithies. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Ata Mariota, 16. Trey Mooney, 17. Pasami Saulo. Reserves: 18. Albert Hopoate, 19. Emre Guler, 20. Zac Woolford, 21. Nick Cotric, 22. Peter Hola.

Sharks squad: 1. William Kennedy, 2. Sione Katoa, 3. Jesse Ramien, 4. Kayal Iro, 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo, 6. Daniel Atkinson, 7. Nicho Hynes, 8. Thomas Hazelton, 9. Blayke Brailey, 10. Oregon Kaufusi, 11. Briton Nikora, 12. Teig Wilton, 13. Cameron McInnes. Interchange: 14. Jack Williams, 15. Siosifa Talakai, 16. Toby Rudolf, 17. Braden Hamlin-Uele. Reserves: 18. Mawene Hiroti, 19. Tuku Hau Tapuha, 20. Samuel Stonestreet, 21. Royce Hunt, 22. Kade Dykes.